Device for gripping and removing milk-bottle caps



May s. 1928. 1,669,008

D. M PHEE DEVICE FOR GRIPPING AND REMOVING MILK BOTTLE CAPS Filed Feb. 2, 1927 INVENTOR DOUQALD M-"PHEE BY 'A v w ATTORNH/S Patented May 8, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFF I C E DEVICE FOR GRIPPING AND REMOVING MILK-BbTTLE CAPS.

l a flair rxrntaar i alrli' elfiiiilh My invention relatsto improvements in "devices for gripping and removing milk bottle caps, which are particularly adapted to so hold the bottle cap that it may be removed and replaced as desired, pending the dispensing of all the milk from the bottle. The objects of the invention are to provide means whereby the marginal edge of the cap is held in place upon the seat of the bottle neck that it may be pierced without becoming distorted; to provide piercing means which will securely hold the cap in a horizontal position during removal and which will enable the cap to be replaced as desired, and also to provide for its convenient release from the device when its ultimate purpose has been served. 1 f I The invention consists essentially of a ferrule adapted to fit upon the marginal edge of the cap and a pair of piercing member's mounted within the ferrule, which are adapted to be moved to pierce the cap and connect the ferrule and the cap to ether to form a replaceable stopper forthe bottle, as will be more fully described in the following specification, in which Fig. l is a sectional view of the invention taken on .the line 1-1 of Figure 2.

Fig. 2 is a plan view.

Fig. 3 is a sectional-view showing the dev I an effective stoppering device and may be vice attached'to a milk bottle cap.

Fig. 4 is a fractionatedview showing the preferred construction of the bail hearing.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

The numeral 1 indicates generally a ferrule preferably stamped from light gauge sheet metal having side walls 2 and at its upper extremity an inturned flange 3 defining an aperture 4 having a pair of parallel sides 5. Extending between the side walls 2 is a shaft 6 which forms a pivot pin for a bail generally indicated by the numeral 7. The bail 7 is preferably formed from shaped as at'8 with parallel portions 9, which pass under the shaft 6 where they are bent to an obtuse angle as at cent their angles are downwardly curved about an are having the shaft 6 for their centre to form a pair of piercing members 11, which members are sharpened at their outer extremities and are adapted to pierce the cap in close proximity to the inner peripheral edge of the bottom layer.

a piece of wire bent substantially U- 10, and adja- A. imp/1..

In my preferred construction I provide a pair of triangular plates 12, two sides of which are clamped about the parallel portions 9 of the bail as at 13, such plates being apertured as at 14: to form ings for the bail.

The numeral 15 indicates a bottle neck having ahorizontal seat 16 upon which a bottle cap 17 is adapted to be fitted.

Having thus described the several parts of my invention I will now briefly explain its use.

lVhen it is desired to remove a cap from a bottle the bail 7 is turned downward into a pair of bear- 7 substantially horizontal position upon the top of the ferrule 1 with the piercing members withdrawn within the sidewalls 2 there of. The ferrule 1 is then placed upon the bottle cap 17 within the bottle neck 15, a slight pressure is downwardly applied thereon and the bail is raised into a substantially vertical position, driving the piercing members 11 through the cap and disposing them in a substantially horizontal position thereunder with their points in contact with the underside of the cap. By lifting the device by the bail 7 the cap is removed with ease and without being bent or damaged.

The cap when secured to the device forms replaced and. removed from the bottle as often as desired, so that the contents of the bottle are kept invaperfectly sanitary condition until dispensed. When the usefulness of the cap is spent, it sufi ices to swing the bail in a downward position as shown in Figure 1, when the piercing members 11 are removed therefrom and the cap is released fromthe ferrule 1.

What I claim as my inventionis:

A device for removing milk bottle caps comprising a ferrule adapted to bear upon the marginal edge of the cap, a U-shaped member pivotally'mounted within the ter rule having the legs of the U bent to form a pair of arcuate piercing members adaptedto piece thebottle cap as the U-shaped member DOUGALD MQPHEE. 

